(Sacramento) -- Earlier today, Assembly Bill 1511, a measure to close a dangerous loophole in California’s gun background check law, was approved by the California State Assembly. The measure, co-sponsored by Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and jointly authored by the Majority Whip of the State Assembly, Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) and Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco), passed by a preliminary vote of 42-9.
Both houses of the Legislature also approved Assembly Bill 1674, which caps the amount of firearms that may be purchased by a person at one per month. AB 1674 passed the State Senate by a vote of 22-4 and the State Assembly with a preliminary vote of 41-7.
“As a father, gun violence is terrifying,” said Assemblymember Santiago. “As a legislator, I’m in a position to do something about it.”
In California, anyone can borrow a gun from an acquaintance for up to 30 days without a background check – one of the most important safeguards in law. AB 1511 closes this loophole by limiting loans of firearms to a spouse or registered domestic partner, a parent, child, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild.
AB 1674 limits firearm purchases to one per month; a provision that has been in place for handguns in California for nearly two decades. Historically, policymakers have believed that the bulk of gun violence is perpetuated by handguns. Yet data collected from mass shootings shows that half of the weapons used in those crimes are long guns: rifles, shotguns, and semi-automatic versions thereof. Additionally, in April 2014 a sale occurred in which one person purchased 177 guns in California in one transaction. AB 1674 establishes a reasonable limitation aimed at preventing both gun trafficking and incidents of mass violence.
AB 1511 and AB 1674 will both be forwarded to Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. for his signature.
Assemblymember Miguel Santiago is the Majority Whip of the California State Assembly and sits on the Assembly’s Public Safety Committee. He represents the 53rd District composed of the cities of Los Angeles, Huntington Park, and Vernon.